About 10 years ago we replaced carpet in the downstairs living room with vinyl plank. The installers had to use a lot of mud to level the floor and it looked great when they were done. Now, we see waves under the flooring and cracks in the patio tile just outside.
My wife and I are wondering if the rate of settling is likely to increase over time costing lots more to fix in the long run if we put this off.
I can't answer your question but the problem may be fixed much better using concrete jacking. (they drill holes in the floor all the way through the slab, then pump concrete under the slab filling in any voids and lifting any low spots.) But you would probably need a new floor after that.
Wouldn't concrete jacking just be a temporary solution? It seems that if they fill the current low spots with concrete, new ones would develop as settling continues over the next 10 years. No?
It depends. What you need is a site survey by a real foundation repair company, that has an actual engineer on staff or retainer. A house that old should be done settling, unless there has been a ton of rain, or an extended drought, or some work at the neighbor's place or out in the street, that has changed the subsurface water flows. Do you have any windows or doors that seem (more) out of square since the problem came back, or any fresh cracks inside in the walls, or outside in the brick? When it rains, does water pond against the house anywhere? If you live in frost country, do the cracks and low/high spots change in winter or spring? The engineer will have a whole list of questions, and poke around awhile. Almost always the answer is pretty obvious, but it is the kind of thing where you need trained experienced eyes right there.
-- aem sends...
If it's been abnormally dry, ring the house with a soaker hose and run it for a few hours a couple of times a week.
If you've been subject to a lot of rain, rework the water run-off away from the house as much as possible.
Wouldn't concrete jacking just be a temporary solution? It seems that if they fill the current low spots with concrete, new ones would develop as settling continues over the next 10 years. No?
No one can provide an answer without a lot more info.
Where do you live?
What kind of foundation and floor do you have?
Do you have weeping tile and a sump pit?
What are the soil conditions that your basement is built on?
How old is your house?
What have the weather conditions been (rainy, wet, dry, etc)?
What sort of surface drainage do you have and is it proper? Do you have extenstions on your down spouts? Is the soil sloped away from your foundation?
Etc. etc......
Doug, Are you qualified to make a good recommendation or are you simply letting me know the type of info that I will need to provide to a foundation engineer? Bob
Happens to people too. I'm 1" shorter than I was when I was younger. The doc says I'm just settling.
Yes, but you probably don't plan on selling your body for a profit when you move on.
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